Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to use of intravascular catheters. More specifically, it relates to the use of central venous catheters. Even more specifically, it relates to hemodialysis catheters such as non-tunneled which are short term catheters and also tunneled which are long-term catheters.
More specifically, it relates to catheter lock solution which instills into the lumen of the catheter and helps to keep catheter patency between the times that it is not used for treatment of a patient.
Even more specifically, it relates to use of Sodium Bicarbonate solution as a catheter lock solution. The Sodium Bicarbonate Catheter Lock Solution prevents clot formation inside the catheter lumen and ensures patency of the catheter and also it eliminates bleeding and other complications caused through the use of anticoagulants and other solutions as a catheter locking solution.
Description of the Prior Art
There are various lock solutions for short term and long-term catheters to prevent both bacterial infection and clotting, which are the major problems with catheters and any evidence of catheter occlusion or thrombosis is dealt with immediately.
During the dwell time (the time between uses of the catheter) the hub and lumen of the catheter are filled with a locking solution. In many cases, anticoagulant or anti-clotting agent are added to locking solution to prevent clot buildup within the lumen of the catheter and to keep patency of the catheter. The most commonly used catheter lock solution is Heparin.
For example, heparin concentrates of between 1000-10000 U/ml may be added, however this may cause systemic anti-coagulation. To prevent this, other solutions have been used such as citrate, sodium chloride and many other solutions.
While these types of solutions may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.
It is thus desirable to provide a catheter lock solution for catheters to mitigate the possibility of systemic anti-coagulation.
It is further desirable to provide a locking solution for catheters incorporating sodium bicarbonate to mitigate potential bleeding caused through use of anti-coagulants.